| GANDHI AT THE BAT |
| A film from Mental Slapstick Written and Directed by Stephanie Argy & Alec Boehm Based on the short story by Chet Williamson |
Recently, sportswriter John Thorn tipped me off to a news item
that he found on the internet spotlighting a recent comedy short
that 'mockuments' a visit to the United States by Mohandas K.
Gandhi in 1933. This visit was found in some recently discovered
newsreels, and in the film Gandhi is seen pinch hitting for the New
York Yankees.
Of course, the visit and subsequent playing never really occurred;
the video is the creation of Stephanie Argy and Alec Boehm of the
independent film company Mental Slapstick and was based on a
1983 short story by Chet Williamson published in the New Yorker
Magazine.
The eleven minute faux newsreel was mostly filmed at Sam Lynn
Ball Park in Bakersfield with the Yankee Stadium backgrounds and
'film aging' added digitally. The DVD was shown in July at an
Indian Film Festival in Germany and met with very favorable
reviews.
Stephanie Argy at Mental Slapstick said that they hope to begin
selling the DVD very soon, and I will add links to whatever sites or
retailers who carry it when it is released to the general public. For
a preview of the video, see the CNN/IBN news item:
Below are a couple special features from the DVD. The first is the
tongue-in-cheek discussion about finding and restoring the vintage
newsreel. The second item shows before-and-after clips from the
movie, the color videos taken at Sam Lynn and the digitally edited
Yankee Stadium versions.
that he found on the internet spotlighting a recent comedy short
that 'mockuments' a visit to the United States by Mohandas K.
Gandhi in 1933. This visit was found in some recently discovered
newsreels, and in the film Gandhi is seen pinch hitting for the New
York Yankees.
Of course, the visit and subsequent playing never really occurred;
the video is the creation of Stephanie Argy and Alec Boehm of the
independent film company Mental Slapstick and was based on a
1983 short story by Chet Williamson published in the New Yorker
Magazine.
The eleven minute faux newsreel was mostly filmed at Sam Lynn
Ball Park in Bakersfield with the Yankee Stadium backgrounds and
'film aging' added digitally. The DVD was shown in July at an
Indian Film Festival in Germany and met with very favorable
reviews.
Stephanie Argy at Mental Slapstick said that they hope to begin
selling the DVD very soon, and I will add links to whatever sites or
retailers who carry it when it is released to the general public. For
a preview of the video, see the CNN/IBN news item:
Below are a couple special features from the DVD. The first is the
tongue-in-cheek discussion about finding and restoring the vintage
newsreel. The second item shows before-and-after clips from the
movie, the color videos taken at Sam Lynn and the digitally edited
Yankee Stadium versions.
| Here are a few other websites to visit for more information about the movie: |
| By the way, please note the inclusion of the sitar rendition of the classic Von Tilzer tune, a stroke of pure genius (in my humble opinion!). |
| Breaking News!!! Gandhi At The Bat was selected as one of nine films to be shown at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum Film Festival and on Sunday, September 21, Gandhi At The Bat received the Award for Filmmaking Excellence! |
